Peace in the Middle East

"Now I've been smiling lately,
thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun" - Cat Stevens

So, we live in the Middle East.  The focal point of thousands of years of conflict, hate, and war.

The other night I played some basketball in the park.  We had a guy from Lebanon, England, Ireland, Italy, the US, Egypt, the Philippines, Russia, Palestine, and Iraq.  It was a fun game a basketball... no tempers, everyone called their own fouls, lots of smiles and good times.

Blossom like a Rose

"I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand" - Sting

Well, it looks like our time of good weather is almost over.  We have already had several days this year over 100 degrees.  It is back to AC indoors or sticky sweat outdoors.

It gets so hot here in the summer that it is actually quite incredible that they can keep green things growing at all. On the other hand, in the winter, things can turn green and the desert can be made to blossom.  We have a friend who has at least a dozen different plants flowering in his yard.  It is practically a little garden of Eden... and literally amazing considering we live in one of the biggest deserts/harshest climates/hottest places on earth.

To do our part in helping the to greenify (is that a word?) the desert, we have a few plants outside of our home.  Neither Yvonne or I have a green thumb, and never expected them to blossom... Mostly we just hoped to keep them alive.  But, in the last month or so, we have seen some color.  It is a treat amidst all the browns and grays of the desert.

These were taken the other day in front of our house.  The hibiscus help remind us of Hawaii and the desert rose currently has about 20 blossoms on it. (thanks Elisa for helping us add a little spice to our front porch)

Creepy Bunnies

"Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppin', Easter's on its way" - Gene Autry

HAPPY EASTER!